SpaceShipTwo Crash Survivor Speaks As Reports Of Past Technical Issues Surface

Chuck Bednar for redOrbit.com – Your Universe Online
As the survivor of Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo crash told government investigators that he was unaware that his co-pilot had prematurely unlocked the brakes, reports surfaced that the vehicle had been plagued by technical issues that few outside of the project knew about.
According to CNN and the Associated Press (AP), pilot Peter Siebold told National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) officials last week that he did not realize the deceased co-pilot Mike Alsbury had unlocked the feathering mechanism before the rocket had finished accelerating – even though protocol required that the step be verbally announced.
Agency spokesman Eric Weiss told the AP that it was not clear if Alsbury ever made the announcement, or if Siebold simply did not hear it. He said the agency plans to review audio data from the flight beginning sometime next week. Earlier this month, NTSB officials revealed that the unlocking of the lever and the subsequent deployment of the slow-down mechanism played a role in the incident, but stopped short of stating it was the cause.
As the investigation into the events that led SpaceShipTwo to crash in the California’s Mojave Desert on October 31 continue, Andy Pasztor of The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday that engineers and subcontractors involved with the Virgin Galactic project revealed they had “spent years wrestling with difficulties, ranging from inadequate rocket-motor thrust to problems in the flight-control system to structural deficiencies affecting the wings of the rocket’s carrier plane.”
“Fixes were devised, flight tests were delayed and the result, these people said, was that some important elements of the project remained in flux for several years,” Pasztor added. “It isn’t unusual for complex vehicles such as spacecraft and airliners to face repeated pitfalls and delays during development. Yet throughout the process, Virgin Galactic founder Richard Branson repeatedly announced timetables that were more aggressive than technical advances warranted, the people said.”
The NTSB is reportedly looking into internal company dynamics during their investigation, The Wall Street Journal reporter noted, and Michael Moses, head of operations for the company, reportedly hinted at tension between Branson’s expectations and the challenges faced by the technical team. “There’s a difference between the marketing and the engineering” sides of the company, he apparently said in the days following the accident.
Furthermore, Pasztor reported that sources familiar with the SpaceShipTwo project said Virgin Galactic and its contractors failed to adequately address some of the issues which arose. Over the course of the project, there were allegedly a number of problems that popped up, including fuel seepage issues, chronic propulsion problems, engine performance issues and serious vibrations that prevented pilots from reading instruments.
“Also, the motor didn’t have enough power to blast the proposed 60-foot spaceship, six passengers and a crew of two to the required altitude,” he added. Sierra Nevada, who had been brought in to help with the engine issues, urged Virgin Galactic to temporarily ferry fewer passengers, but Branson’s company reportedly declined, stating the company would not make money under that scenario. The two partners parted ways, and Galactic engineers “switched to a new plastic-based fuel intended to boost the rocket’s power,” according to Pasztor.
During an initial briefing in early November, NTSB Acting Chairman Christopher Hart said that it was too soon to confirm any possible cause of the crash, and that despite media speculation that the fuel tanks or engine could have been involved, both were found intact and neither showed any signs they had been breached. The agency added that nearly all of SpaceShipTwo’s parts had been recovered, but the probe into the incident was far from over.
The 43-year-old Siebold also spoke with reporters about the incident, and according to the AP, he said it was a miracle that he survived the crash, even though he did suffer serious injuries. The pilot, who managed to parachute to safety as SpaceShipTwo disintegrated around him at an altitude of 50,000 feet, said he “must have lost consciousness at first” and that he “can’t remember anything about what happened but I must have come to during the fall… I remember waving to the chase plane and giving them the thumbs-up to tell them I was OK.”
—–
Follow redOrbit on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest.